With the combination of traditional cameras and network technologies, a webcam can transmit images or video to anywhere (including the other side of the globe) through the network, so a viewer at the distal end can monitor the images via a standard Web browser (such as Microsoft IE or Netscape).
In the related art, the webcam not only may locally save a surveillance video, but also may automatically transmit the surveillance video to a network router, which is convenient for users to view the surveillance through a local area network (LAN) and make backup copies. Although this function is practical, it brings corresponding privacy issues that any user in the LAN can freely view the surveillance video stored in the router.